It was entertaining enough but for me it was a slightly dissapointing. There was hardly any mentioning as in wich era or epoch the events took place. The millions of years are mentioned but not if it was the Silurian or the Carniferous or Plioceen, to name a few. Furthermore there were too much images of modern animal life. The prehistoric life was ofcourse GCI but I've seen better in BBC documentaries. Morgan Freeman does a good job narrating this series but he is certainly no David Attenborough. All in all it was a good production but could've been better and even great if they showed more prehistoric life and less contemporary ones in this tale of the evolution of life on earth.
88 Reviews
A good but flawed series with some sadly questionable choices.
tibovl27 October 2023
While comparison to both "Walking with Dinosaurs" and "Prehistoric Planet" is unavoidable it isn't the most fair way to judge a show. Both of the aforementioned shows are the cream of the crop of prehistoric documentary series and at least one of them also holds a fair bit of nostalgia for a lot of people (me included). It is unavoidable that in at least some ways any prehistoric documentary series would fall short if held to such high expectations. Being worse than those shows doesn't automatically make a show bad.
With that out of the way, let's actually try to review this series in an as objective way as possible.
First off, visuals and sound design. They're good, great even. The CGI could have been better but is still more than adequate. The animation is a bit floaty on occasion and if you really pay attention to it it will slightly break the immersion. I find the soundtrack to be great, it doesn't bother me or pull me away from the action and on at least a couple occasions I was actively appreceating it. Animal and surrounding sounds are fine, nothing stood out to me as bad, which is really all it needs to do. I also really like Morgan Freeman as a narrator.
The storytelling choices leave me a bit puzzled though. First of all, there is the addition of modern filmed documentary bits, which to me feel really unnecessary. They could have just made 30 minute episodes instead of padding the runtime in this very strange way. Because shooting nature documentaries isn't cheap or easy. Another problem with these are that they often aren't new for frequent documentary viewers and break your immersion.
The documentary is very informative and explains a lot of interesting concepts extremely well. The way it explained the great dying (Permian extinction) was amazing for example. There are some things that could have been improved though. The time period we find ourselves in often isn't made clear, especially in the first few episodes this can be annoying. They also tend to jump from here to there a bit too much, instead of just going chronologically.
It covers a lot of different species and stories per episode, which is great. I do wish that they would have been a bit more original in their choice of creatures instead of going for the more well know ones. There are a few mistakes (conscerning science and realism) but nothing terrible in my opinion.
I've focussed a lot on the "bad". But let me make clear that this series really isn't a bad one, not even in the slightest. It does fall short when compared to the giants that "Walking with Dinosaurs" and "Prehistoric Planet" are, but has a lot of merit in its own way and definitely deserves to exist and be watched.
With that out of the way, let's actually try to review this series in an as objective way as possible.
First off, visuals and sound design. They're good, great even. The CGI could have been better but is still more than adequate. The animation is a bit floaty on occasion and if you really pay attention to it it will slightly break the immersion. I find the soundtrack to be great, it doesn't bother me or pull me away from the action and on at least a couple occasions I was actively appreceating it. Animal and surrounding sounds are fine, nothing stood out to me as bad, which is really all it needs to do. I also really like Morgan Freeman as a narrator.
The storytelling choices leave me a bit puzzled though. First of all, there is the addition of modern filmed documentary bits, which to me feel really unnecessary. They could have just made 30 minute episodes instead of padding the runtime in this very strange way. Because shooting nature documentaries isn't cheap or easy. Another problem with these are that they often aren't new for frequent documentary viewers and break your immersion.
The documentary is very informative and explains a lot of interesting concepts extremely well. The way it explained the great dying (Permian extinction) was amazing for example. There are some things that could have been improved though. The time period we find ourselves in often isn't made clear, especially in the first few episodes this can be annoying. They also tend to jump from here to there a bit too much, instead of just going chronologically.
It covers a lot of different species and stories per episode, which is great. I do wish that they would have been a bit more original in their choice of creatures instead of going for the more well know ones. There are a few mistakes (conscerning science and realism) but nothing terrible in my opinion.
I've focussed a lot on the "bad". But let me make clear that this series really isn't a bad one, not even in the slightest. It does fall short when compared to the giants that "Walking with Dinosaurs" and "Prehistoric Planet" are, but has a lot of merit in its own way and definitely deserves to exist and be watched.
This is a different series...also with Morgan Freeman
rich-1216930 October 2023
So yeah..its poor timing. But i thought Netflix was pointing me at a show I had just finished watching. But no. It is different.
This show..is amazing. With amazing voice over and amazing animation...at least until they move. THen it gets a little wonky..but still not bad.
My only complaint...and its a big one. IS that I absolutely hate the fabled story telling sections. This catbird species's males danced together for male dominance..and then they continue that trend, talking about how it probably did this and probably did that. But they don't say probably. They show and say with certainty that these fabled stories happened.
That was my biggest complaint with the previous morgan freeman documentary..the forced storytelling. Its such a lame device.
And i had just seen the same octopus male pretending to be a female at least twice before this. And it is even the same footage.
This show..is amazing. With amazing voice over and amazing animation...at least until they move. THen it gets a little wonky..but still not bad.
My only complaint...and its a big one. IS that I absolutely hate the fabled story telling sections. This catbird species's males danced together for male dominance..and then they continue that trend, talking about how it probably did this and probably did that. But they don't say probably. They show and say with certainty that these fabled stories happened.
That was my biggest complaint with the previous morgan freeman documentary..the forced storytelling. Its such a lame device.
And i had just seen the same octopus male pretending to be a female at least twice before this. And it is even the same footage.
Walking with Monsters, Dinosaurs and Beasts all-in-one
Aeternum428 October 2023
We should not be taking prehistoric wildlife documentaries like these for granted. The fact that I mentioned programs that came out more than 20 years ago says something about the rarity of high quality projects like these. It was not until Prehistoric Planet that we finally got something that echoed what made BBC's Walking with series so special, and I am very satisfied with this documentary as well.
Life on Our Planet has great scope, delving into a multitude of different subjects. Mass extinctions, evolution, climates, habitats, plants, arthropods, cephalopods, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs/birds, mammals and much more. It travels through time back and forth to show the lives of animals that went extinct and those that still exist today. Life on Our Planet is beautiful, tragic and educational.
I will be rewatching it pretty soon. Of course I hope more of these kind of documentaries will be made in the future. The only thing that could make Prehistoric Planet and Life on Our Planet even more interesting is a narrative focus on a specific animal, something that made the Walking with series so compelling.
Life on Our Planet has great scope, delving into a multitude of different subjects. Mass extinctions, evolution, climates, habitats, plants, arthropods, cephalopods, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs/birds, mammals and much more. It travels through time back and forth to show the lives of animals that went extinct and those that still exist today. Life on Our Planet is beautiful, tragic and educational.
I will be rewatching it pretty soon. Of course I hope more of these kind of documentaries will be made in the future. The only thing that could make Prehistoric Planet and Life on Our Planet even more interesting is a narrative focus on a specific animal, something that made the Walking with series so compelling.
A masterpiece
fiona_rp1 November 2023
How can anyone give this less than a 10? Words fail me!!!
A well researched and highly entertaining documentary covering the life of our planet. It is devastating to think that all the miracles that are depicted are slowly disappearing, in our current time. And it may not be replaced as it was in the past.
Visually stunning, excellent photography and one of the most complimentary music scores I've heard in a while. Morgan Freeman adds an earthy commentary role to Spielbergs epic creation.
Thank you to all who contributed and gave us this absolutely brilliant documentary, thrilling and inspiring.
A well researched and highly entertaining documentary covering the life of our planet. It is devastating to think that all the miracles that are depicted are slowly disappearing, in our current time. And it may not be replaced as it was in the past.
Visually stunning, excellent photography and one of the most complimentary music scores I've heard in a while. Morgan Freeman adds an earthy commentary role to Spielbergs epic creation.
Thank you to all who contributed and gave us this absolutely brilliant documentary, thrilling and inspiring.
Loved it!
squilla25 October 2023
Well I have just spent the whole day binging this series and I loved it! I found it hard to put the remote down, it was an rollercoaster of emotions for the life that has come before now.
I loved everything about it, I thought the special effects were great, I've no idea what the other reveiwers are talking about, the special effects were amazing. Morgan Freemans voice was wonderful and it made it for me knowing that he is a beekeeper and lover of animals, it had to be someone like this. As much as I love David Attenborough I found it a refreshing change to hear someone else narrate the story of a life on earth.
The score was great, it did have an orchestral, dramatic Steven Speilsberg feel to it. What made the whole thing for me was how the story of the start of life, to where we are now came together, well done to the script writers and producers here. I think going through the episodes as they did and featuring animals relevant to that era for that episode was great, the timeline I found a very useful visual to visualise the time involved, otherwise to me it is just a number and doesn't represent the immense scale that this series covered. The story writing was full and a lot to take in, I'm going to have to watch it again to really absorb all the information. You can really see how this series has been over 6 years in the making.
As usual with Silverback Films the camera work was just incredible, every single frame in the series could have been a National geographic photograph, utterly breathtaking scenes.
Well done too all of the production team and everyone involved in the making of this, you have done it proud.
I loved everything about it, I thought the special effects were great, I've no idea what the other reveiwers are talking about, the special effects were amazing. Morgan Freemans voice was wonderful and it made it for me knowing that he is a beekeeper and lover of animals, it had to be someone like this. As much as I love David Attenborough I found it a refreshing change to hear someone else narrate the story of a life on earth.
The score was great, it did have an orchestral, dramatic Steven Speilsberg feel to it. What made the whole thing for me was how the story of the start of life, to where we are now came together, well done to the script writers and producers here. I think going through the episodes as they did and featuring animals relevant to that era for that episode was great, the timeline I found a very useful visual to visualise the time involved, otherwise to me it is just a number and doesn't represent the immense scale that this series covered. The story writing was full and a lot to take in, I'm going to have to watch it again to really absorb all the information. You can really see how this series has been over 6 years in the making.
As usual with Silverback Films the camera work was just incredible, every single frame in the series could have been a National geographic photograph, utterly breathtaking scenes.
Well done too all of the production team and everyone involved in the making of this, you have done it proud.
Totally enthralled with it!
johnnybravoctk26 October 2023
I'm guessing people just get angry that it's Morgan Freeman narrating and not David Attenborough? I just don't get the complaints these days about these type of things. My only beef is the special effects actually feel like a slight drop from Prehistoric Planet, which is odd since PP Season 1 was 2 years ago now. Other than that, I absolutely love all of it. Watching the planet get engulfed by smoke was fascinating, though they could have gone deeper and into some new angles of what actually killed the dinasaurs as there was raining hot glass among other things. Still I always feel lucky when a Documentary like this arrives, whether it's Planet Earth or Prehistoric Planet or Cosmos, etc. These are the shows that keep me going best. Give me more science and history shows!
I Want More Like This!
danielmelendez-1846227 November 2023
This is one of my favorite documentaries I have ever seen. I hope more are done in this style. Some people apparently don't like the blending of prehistoric footage and modern day footage but I liked it. The modern footage was in relation to the prehistoric Animals being discussed. The cinematography was really good as well as the 3d. It's some of the best 3d graphics I have seen in a nature show. I agree that they should have included the epoch names along with the timelines. I watched the whole series in about a week and would continue watching it if there were more episodes. I hope more like this are made.
The story about the Earth you've always wanted
kunj-patel29 October 2023
As a seasoned traveler, I am met with great geographies and stories of Earth history spanning millions of years etched into the landscape. And at science museums, I've encountered animals and strange creatures that no longer exist. We are left merely to contemplate how all of this came to be. This documentary masterfully crafts a story that synthesizes these two disparate threads into one extremely cogent and satisfying story that answers some of the biggest questions about where we came from and why, and where might we going.
If you want to see an masterful biopic that will shape the lens with which you view life and our place on earthy, you must watch this documentary.
If you want to see an masterful biopic that will shape the lens with which you view life and our place on earthy, you must watch this documentary.
I expected better
farshidkarimi25 October 2023
The producers of this series should have watched Prehistoric Planet (2022) and Planet Dinosaur (2011) both by BBC. The said series have been made almost accurately based on experts' opinions. They were narrated by Sir David Attenborough and John Hurt, with their soothing voiceovers.
The narration is almost incomprehensible. I think Morgan Freeman must take that big blob of chewing gum out of his mouth before starting to narrate documentaries. I think he was tired, munching on a blob of gooey chewing gum.
The animations are not as solid and sharp as the ones in the above said documentaries. The animations in the said series looked so natural that sometimes I wonder how anyone could create them so vividly.
The first episode was a bit rushed, juggling through different periods, leaving me confused about the eras.
I would recommend prehistoric planet and planet dinosaurs. A much better watch.
The narration is almost incomprehensible. I think Morgan Freeman must take that big blob of chewing gum out of his mouth before starting to narrate documentaries. I think he was tired, munching on a blob of gooey chewing gum.
The animations are not as solid and sharp as the ones in the above said documentaries. The animations in the said series looked so natural that sometimes I wonder how anyone could create them so vividly.
The first episode was a bit rushed, juggling through different periods, leaving me confused about the eras.
I would recommend prehistoric planet and planet dinosaurs. A much better watch.
Best Netflix series I've ever seen since walking with dinosaurs, and prehistoric planet
gabethedinosaur13 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary series is so breathtaking and very different than the dinosaur series I grew up with 21 to David Attenboroughs prehistoric planet on Apple TV + . The dinosaurs and creatures from the time earth was getting started was very breathtaking. It felt like I was watching walking with monsters to walking with dinosaurs all over again . But this series did it different. It was like going back in time to the 21 century. The dinosaurs were so well done the roar from Jurassic park was even better . The rest of the prehistoric beasts were really well done . But it didn't focus much on the rest of the creatures . But I'm glade that showed his earth was changing and the asteroid hitting earth was the best part I wanted to see . I hope in prehistoric planet 3 they show the asteroid hitting earth and trex looks up at the sky and does one last roar . And therizinosaurs fights another dinosaur.
Life on our planet is in for an Oscar.
Life on our planet is in for an Oscar.
Needs more details but the picture is gorgeous
supertechie30 November 2023
I'm constantly asking "But how?" Millions of years go by and new species appear but there's no information on how. What species did it originally evolve from. The answers are provided for our current animals which I already know and yes it's evolution of course but I want more details on the process. I want more science but maybe it's just me. It's very vague but I'm on episode one so hopefully they'll provide more entail but I doubt it. A massive squid appeared but no info on its structure and what caused it grow such a long cone head. Then it mentioned another squid that's hidden under sand, referring to its large eyes being able to see prey. Large eyes? That's all?!? Just the size?!? Psshhh.
Oh dear
dtalbot-126 October 2023
Hmm, only watched 2 episodes so far but its jumping about all over the place and several scenes like the trickster cuttlefish seem nightly familiar, as it has appeared and been much better presented and described in one or other of the BBC's far superior natural history shows. Talks of billions and millions of years but no mention of the epochs those dates relate to and creatures from vastly different eras of the earths evolution presented one after the other with no indication millions of years separate them for example giant millipedes form the distant past straight to modern jumping spiders. Netflix seem to be trying to do what the BBC natural history unit and Sir David Attenborough do but have forgotten the BBC have been doing this.for well over half a century.
LIFE ANYWHERE REMAINS FASCINATING
Richie-67-48585229 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Good, educational presentation as food for thought and of course, at the same time, honors the theme "life" as it should. Of course, the series chose a side as to how life evolved and based on their choice, preceded to not only make their points, but entertain and educate along the way. One thing that distracted me is not knowing the difference between what the animators did versus real life events as the false narrative animations were so real and expertly done. I kept imagining that any movie made today, using dinosaurs or fantasy as well as sci-fi to entertain could now present so really good, over the top, temporary suspension of beliefs while we gorge on popcorn and quality drinks. However, I couldn't tell the difference between the real and the fake, something that a serious viewer or a lover of the science would want to know. Also, one must keep in mind that as they present made-up characteristics and behaviors of the animation that it is just that! We don't know what they did or how they did it but instead, submit what we think. Furthermore, the timeline consisting of billions of years and what took place and when is not truth but projection of assembled facts. For instance, we don't know what the exoskeleton of animal fossil found would actually look like with skin, muscle and all the rest but instead, we study close relatives and then speculate. Perhaps a caveat stating a point of view and our best guess would have added to the realism and credibility allowing this to be shown in classrooms as a teaching aide more so. Well done otherwise and more of the same is encouraged of course with improvements.
Fascinating
jbfghuhl26 October 2023
As someone who is new to this subject, I found the series fascinating and informative. The nature footage is spectacular, as to be expected by a British natural history show! But I also really loved how this felt different and fresh as a concept. The CGI animals from the past were used in a clever way to bring the past to life, and though jumping through time from past to present was confusing at times, the overall message was clear and I learnt a lot.
Morgan is always great, though I love Attenborough too. Just one more to watch and I'll have binged it all! I hope there is more content like this on the way from Netflix.
Morgan is always great, though I love Attenborough too. Just one more to watch and I'll have binged it all! I hope there is more content like this on the way from Netflix.
Fantastic Paleodoc
dominiclhaigh25 October 2023
Absolutely stunning series, with some of the best representations of prehistoric animals that I've ever seen. The comparison of modern animals to their ancestors was amazing, but wish they made the jump in time a bit clearer between scenes.
The animation can be a bit choppy at times, but it's actually a nice reminder that these creatures aren't alive and real today.
Episode 3 is my favourite episode, with the most narrative sense between each scene and the stories not feeling perilous at every second (which gets tiring very quickly in episode 6)
Overall, absolutely fantastic series and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who's thinking about starting this series.
The animation can be a bit choppy at times, but it's actually a nice reminder that these creatures aren't alive and real today.
Episode 3 is my favourite episode, with the most narrative sense between each scene and the stories not feeling perilous at every second (which gets tiring very quickly in episode 6)
Overall, absolutely fantastic series and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who's thinking about starting this series.
wow just wow
cheryl-doyle27 October 2023
Well i'm so delighted to have someone other than david attenborough narrate something ..i'm bored of attenborough (he is very good ) but so nice for someone else do it and morgan freeman is excellent .
The whole story is amazing showing the extinctions and the asteroid and the dinosaurs and who survived after and how they survived . Beautiful visuals and clear explanations .
I love dinosaurs so this was just fantastic to watch. I looked up ,how did they know what the creatures did ... and they took their info very seriously ,from many palaeontologists and experts . Although you wouldn't know everything because the species are extinct they put it together so well it was just eye opening .
Loved this so much defo worth a watch would loved to have seen it at the imax with big screen maybe even in 3d was just awesome .
The whole story is amazing showing the extinctions and the asteroid and the dinosaurs and who survived after and how they survived . Beautiful visuals and clear explanations .
I love dinosaurs so this was just fantastic to watch. I looked up ,how did they know what the creatures did ... and they took their info very seriously ,from many palaeontologists and experts . Although you wouldn't know everything because the species are extinct they put it together so well it was just eye opening .
Loved this so much defo worth a watch would loved to have seen it at the imax with big screen maybe even in 3d was just awesome .
Fantastic and Inspiring!
ernest-8580012 November 2023
How could any not like this?
From the first spark of life 4 billion years ago all the way to us, The history of LIFE on earth!
The animations of prehistoric life is awesome, gives you a proper insight of life throughout the different geological periods. A view of life and evolution many haven't seen before. How life developed, found ways thru mass extinctions and the events our planet has been thru (to name some).
Fantastic shots and great comparisons throughout the whole series, helping people understand what life might have been like so long ago (a very good one was between the time where reptiles ruled the planet and the Komodo Dragons on the island Komodo).
Great narrating by Freeman, a voice everyone is familiar with, and great work by Spielberg as usual.
Some people seem to believe the series is jumping to much back and forth. It's made in a way where you can watch each episode separately and still keep up.
Hope we as humans can once and for all put our ignorance and greed aside and fight for what really matters! The future of life is in our hands!
From the first spark of life 4 billion years ago all the way to us, The history of LIFE on earth!
The animations of prehistoric life is awesome, gives you a proper insight of life throughout the different geological periods. A view of life and evolution many haven't seen before. How life developed, found ways thru mass extinctions and the events our planet has been thru (to name some).
Fantastic shots and great comparisons throughout the whole series, helping people understand what life might have been like so long ago (a very good one was between the time where reptiles ruled the planet and the Komodo Dragons on the island Komodo).
Great narrating by Freeman, a voice everyone is familiar with, and great work by Spielberg as usual.
Some people seem to believe the series is jumping to much back and forth. It's made in a way where you can watch each episode separately and still keep up.
Hope we as humans can once and for all put our ignorance and greed aside and fight for what really matters! The future of life is in our hands!
Life finds a way !
narayansunil-3906429 November 2023
Excellent narration ! The way they explains about evolution of life was incredible. Especially the visuals was quite realistic. By this series, we could understand how Nature is acting as creator as well as destroyer. This was one of my favourite series ever ! The introduction of every new species was fantastic, especially the way they explained about the great mass extinctions occurred till now on our planet was mind blowing and stunning. Each and everyone in the planet must watch this series as soon as possible and this may create a awareness of saving our planet from upcoming mass extinction.
"Life has always found a way"
LauraAnnG30 October 2023
The new Netflix series "Life on our Planet" is really good. I liked it a lot.
It is a mix of astonishing wildlife photography and animation - the latter being so good it is difficult to tell which is which.
The sound production is also awesome (if you watch it you'll see what I mean).
I learned stuff, which is always good. I like how it focuses on the five mass extinctions. It motivated me to do some further reading about them.
Morgan Freeman narrates it brilliantly. He speaks clearly and with passion.
I really have nothing negative to say about it. There are people who compare it negatively to Attenborough series but I've not watched the latter and so... oh well. Nor have I seen the series people mention that is on AppleTV.
So... I happily recommend this series. I liked it a lot.
It is a mix of astonishing wildlife photography and animation - the latter being so good it is difficult to tell which is which.
The sound production is also awesome (if you watch it you'll see what I mean).
I learned stuff, which is always good. I like how it focuses on the five mass extinctions. It motivated me to do some further reading about them.
Morgan Freeman narrates it brilliantly. He speaks clearly and with passion.
I really have nothing negative to say about it. There are people who compare it negatively to Attenborough series but I've not watched the latter and so... oh well. Nor have I seen the series people mention that is on AppleTV.
So... I happily recommend this series. I liked it a lot.
Om nom nom, glup!
yorch-0221027 October 2023
Disclaimer: I'm halfway through the second episode.
But I had to stop. The very first terrible thing I noticed is the sound effects, I dunno who decided to have so many bombastic, cartoon like sounds in a documentary but it takes you right out of the immersion (a fish bites on a cephalopod and you literally hear: chomp chomp glup! As it swallow its prey).
The narration is extremely basic and dramatic at the same time, you'll hear over and over again the word "dynasty" to the point someone already made it a drinking game.
The "plot" centers so much on the classic "fight between species" or "fight for mates" which it is what's life is about but there's so little substance, it gets extremely repetitive.
The music is generic but for some reason it's very dramatic (I think they want you to not get bored).
I'll update this review once I finish the series but so far, very disappointed.
One last thing, the CGI is OK, forgivable with a better script and scenes and considering its probably not giant budget.
It is impossible not to compare it with its contemporary "competition" and in that regard, it does not meet the standard. I'm happy there's a paleomedia renaissance but this is not the way.
I think for an average viewer it's fine but it breaks my heart that whomever made this didn't took advantage of it's platform and educated, innovated and entertained a new audience as well as paleonerds like me.
I don't think I would recommend this series yet.
But I had to stop. The very first terrible thing I noticed is the sound effects, I dunno who decided to have so many bombastic, cartoon like sounds in a documentary but it takes you right out of the immersion (a fish bites on a cephalopod and you literally hear: chomp chomp glup! As it swallow its prey).
The narration is extremely basic and dramatic at the same time, you'll hear over and over again the word "dynasty" to the point someone already made it a drinking game.
The "plot" centers so much on the classic "fight between species" or "fight for mates" which it is what's life is about but there's so little substance, it gets extremely repetitive.
The music is generic but for some reason it's very dramatic (I think they want you to not get bored).
I'll update this review once I finish the series but so far, very disappointed.
One last thing, the CGI is OK, forgivable with a better script and scenes and considering its probably not giant budget.
It is impossible not to compare it with its contemporary "competition" and in that regard, it does not meet the standard. I'm happy there's a paleomedia renaissance but this is not the way.
I think for an average viewer it's fine but it breaks my heart that whomever made this didn't took advantage of it's platform and educated, innovated and entertained a new audience as well as paleonerds like me.
I don't think I would recommend this series yet.
A great Documentary Tv show about the animals that lived on our planet
ashglyde20 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
He may not be David Attenborough but despite that the documentary is great watch. Compares the animals from today to the animals back in time. There are 7 chapters but I honestly could watch it again, including the ending. He is very true about humans and what we are doing to our planet- especially doing it at the same time. But the last part is also true, life will always find a way. We may be intelligent and cunning, but life will always find a way to survive even if we aren't in the picture.
Many people can deny climate change as not a man made problem, but if you look at the facts and look at what we are doing to our beautiful planet, you begin to see how much we rely on as a species. Our intelligence is the only thing that will save us. Previous animals didn't have this ability and unfortunately they met their end without even knowing. But we know our timeline and know what we have to do.
Many people can deny climate change as not a man made problem, but if you look at the facts and look at what we are doing to our beautiful planet, you begin to see how much we rely on as a species. Our intelligence is the only thing that will save us. Previous animals didn't have this ability and unfortunately they met their end without even knowing. But we know our timeline and know what we have to do.
It would be a 10, if Planet Earth didn't exist..
mayo-818033 November 2023
As a stand alone, this programme is very good. A bit repetitive at times, with what feels like the start of each being the ending of the one before.
The time periods are brilliant, however it can feel a bit jumpy - casually jumping the odd 100 million years or so hear and there! Don't get me wrong, in general it's a brilliantly executed bit of TV.. the graphics in the most part are awesome But, as per the title, Planet Earth 1/2/3 exist to which each is a phenomenal marvel which this can't quite reach, yet?
It does have things planet earth doesn't, seeing the visual graphic of the extinctions or the ancient mammals is incredible .. Awesome show. Just isn't Attenborough.
The time periods are brilliant, however it can feel a bit jumpy - casually jumping the odd 100 million years or so hear and there! Don't get me wrong, in general it's a brilliantly executed bit of TV.. the graphics in the most part are awesome But, as per the title, Planet Earth 1/2/3 exist to which each is a phenomenal marvel which this can't quite reach, yet?
It does have things planet earth doesn't, seeing the visual graphic of the extinctions or the ancient mammals is incredible .. Awesome show. Just isn't Attenborough.
Disappoint
calahao25 October 2023
Prehistoric Planet seems to indeed have heralded a new age of prehistoric documentaries, and some like this one take new creative insights. Rather than being something akin to a David Attenborough documentary, Life On Our Planet jumps around between different eras, explaining the various principles of evolution and even cutting to modern wildlife scenes to illustrate the point.
Unfortunately, it falls rather short on two main ways:
The animation and animal depictions just aren't up to par. Maybe this is an unfair critique given that it probably didn't have the budget of Prehistoric Planet, but many of the extinct taxa don't have the same level of care put into them and either look cartoony or like outdated depictions.
It has way too many inaccuracies. The first episode, for instance, boasts that sharks are living fossils (something long understood to not be the case), that terror birds were outcompeted by sabertoothed cats (also long understood to not be the case) and that mammals "were a footnote" in the time of the dinosaurs (Repenomamus and others disagree)
That said, the series has a few redeeming moments, like the accurate orthoceratids and focus on Permian life forms. Just wish they would fully cancel the shortcomings.
Unfortunately, it falls rather short on two main ways:
The animation and animal depictions just aren't up to par. Maybe this is an unfair critique given that it probably didn't have the budget of Prehistoric Planet, but many of the extinct taxa don't have the same level of care put into them and either look cartoony or like outdated depictions.
It has way too many inaccuracies. The first episode, for instance, boasts that sharks are living fossils (something long understood to not be the case), that terror birds were outcompeted by sabertoothed cats (also long understood to not be the case) and that mammals "were a footnote" in the time of the dinosaurs (Repenomamus and others disagree)
That said, the series has a few redeeming moments, like the accurate orthoceratids and focus on Permian life forms. Just wish they would fully cancel the shortcomings.
Great show!
mtdrmbyc26 October 2023
This was a truly fascinating journey through time, I loved the combination of seeing the extinct creatures and learning about the deep past alongside seeing modern day animals and learning where they came from and their part in Earth's history. The VFX was amazing, the smilodon in particular was mind blowing. In particular I found the story of the series super interesting, taking me on a real journey through time.
I tried to watch prehistoric planet and though their CGI was good, I found it just to be a jumble of random stories with no purpose, this series is much more informative.
Would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn and be entertained by Earth's great story.
I tried to watch prehistoric planet and though their CGI was good, I found it just to be a jumble of random stories with no purpose, this series is much more informative.
Would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn and be entertained by Earth's great story.
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